My Notes

These 6 Tips for Making Desserts in the Microwave are the key to perfecting this new (and super easy) method of baking. We've all had those late-night cravings for something sweet. But who wants to make a complicated dessert late at night?

Microwave desserts, like mug cakes, microwave cobblers, and even chocolate fondue, are the answer to your sweet, sugary prayers!

But making your favorite desserts in the microwave comes with its own set of challenges. Never fear, though. We have gathered these six tips and tricks, including advice from some of our favorite bloggers and chefs, to help you become a master microwave miracle worker.

1. Be Prepared and Know Your Microwave

Mug cakes are probably the easiest microwave desserts to master, but you can't make anything unless you're prepared. Our first tip for making desserts in the microwave is to have this handy infographic shown below. Print it out, and stick it on your fridge, so you have it when you're ready to make that midnight snack.

Click on the image to download the full infographic for step-by-step instructions:

It's important to know what your microwave is capable of. Christina Lane from Dessert for Two gave us this advice about making desserts in the microwave:

“Be sure to check the wattage on your microwave before proceeding with a recipe. Recipe instructions can vary based on wattage.”

2. Avoid Recipes That Call For Eggs In your Mug Cakes

Eggs in the microwave are perfectly safe, but the next time you see a mug cake recipe that includes an egg, you should be a little suspicious. Eggs usually leave you with a dense, soggy cake when they’re included in mug cake recipes.

That said, your mug cakes will still need something to keep them nice and moist, so you don't end up with something that's too dry. Throw in some caramel or a peanut butter filling to turn your mug cake into a lava cake that's simply divine! This easy mug cake recipe below uses lemon-lime soda to give it that soft, velvety texture:

3. Use Caution When Melting Chocolate in the Microwave

Most bakers roll their eyes at the thought of melting chocolate via the tempering or Bain Marie methods. And rightfully so, especially when you can totally do it in the microwave in no time at all. But there are ways it can go wrong. Here's one blogger's advice on how to prevent this microwave mishap:

“Using the microwave is a quick and easy way to melt chocolate, but it’s also a quick and easy way to burn chocolate! Since you can’t really watch the chocolate melt in the microwave (compared to using a stovetop), it’s important to go low and slow. Use a lower power setting on the microwave, and melt the chocolate in short intervals. (I use 15-second intervals.) Stir the chocolate after each interval so the chocolate melts evenly. Microwaves cook/melt from the inside out, so stirring is a very important step for even melting! Make sure to keep the bowl and the stirring utensil completely dry or else the chocolate and seize up and become lumpy. If the chocolate does seize up, you can stir in a small amount of vegetable oil to help smooth it back out, though”

Melted chocolate is perfect for dipping strawberries! This is an easy way to make a dessert in a hurry that's also a real crowd pleaser. Give this recipe for Chocolate Covered Strawberries below a try the next time you have company over!

4. The Shape of Your Mug Matters

When making mug cakes, the wider and shorter the mug is, the more evenly it will bake in the microwave. Mugs that have straight sides do better with mug cakes, too. When choosing your mug, look at the difference between the mouth of the mug and the base of the mug. The bigger the difference is, the more uneven the baking will be in the microwave.

5. Practice Makes Perfect

There's really no better piece of advice for making desserts in the microwave than to simply do it often. Over time, you will feel more comfortable with these miracle microwave desserts, and you'll get to know the ins and outs of your microwave.

Now that you've got these tips and tricks for making desserts in the microwave, give them a try with these recipes! There's so much more than just mug cakes:

6. Don't Expect the Same Results as Baking in the Oven

This is probably the most important thing to remember about making your microwave masterpieces. Of course, they will turn out a little bit differently than they would if you were making them traditionally. But that doesn't mean you've done something wrong! When it comes to mug cakes, the batter will not brown on the top, like it does in the oven. If you continue to microwave your mug cake until it does brown, you'll have one very dry mug cake.

It's also important to keep in mind that you cake will not rise as much as you think it will. It might also be a good idea to use self-rising flour instead of all-purpose. For more great tips and tricks for your mug cakes, check out these 6 Tips for Making the Best Ever Mug Cake!

Side Note: These tips and tricks are not meant to be used in a microwave oven. A regular microwave cooks with convection, whereas a microwave oven does not and therefore should probably not be used to making desserts like mug cakes.

What's your favorite dessert to make in the microwave?
Let us know in the comments!

Share Your Images

Terms & Conditions

You must enter into this Agreement if you want to submit digital images or other content to Prime Publishing through Sharing Customer Images (the "Service"). As used in this Agreement, "we" or "Prime Publishing" means Prime Publishing, LLC. and "you" means the individual or entity submitting materials to Prime Publishing. Any individual or entity that wants to use the Service must accept the terms of this Agreement without change. BY CLICKING THE ACCEPT TERMS AND CONDITIONS BUTTON, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY ALL TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT AND ALL SPECIFICATIONS AND GUIDELINES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE.

1) Eligibility. You may only submit Materials to the Service for which you hold all intellectual property rights. In other words, if you submit a digital image to us, you must own all rights to such image or you must have the authorization of the person who does own those rights. The Service is limited to parties that lawfully can enter into and form contracts under applicable law. Minors may not submit Materials to the Service. Further, you may not submit any personally identifiable information about any child under the age of 13.

2) Definitions. As used in this Agreement, (a) "Affiliates" means any entity controlled by, in control of, or under common control with Prime Publishing, (b) "Materials" means all content that you submit to Prime Publishing, including all photographs, illustrations, graphics and text, and (c) "Media" means any means of conveying information, whether now known or hereafter devised.

3) License Grant for Materials. You hereby grant to Prime Publishing and its Affiliates a worldwide, nonexclusive, royalty-free, perpetual right and license to (a) reproduce, distribute, transmit, publicly perform and publicly display the Materials, in whole or in part, in any manner and Media, (b) modify, adapt, translate and create derivative works from the Materials, in whole or in part, in any manner and Media, and (c) sublicense the foregoing rights, in whole or in part, to any third party, with or without a fee.

4) Removal of Materials. If you decide you would like to remove your Materials from the Service, you may provide written notice to Prime Publishing by either deleting the image through the Prime Publishing interface or by contacting Prime Publishing customer service, and Prime Publishing will remove such Materials from the Service within a reasonable period of time.

5) License for Name, Trademarks and Likenesses. You hereby grant to Prime Publishing, its Affiliates and sublicensees a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use all trademarks, trade names, and the names and likenesses of any individuals that appear in the Materials. You grant Prime Publishing, its Affiliates and sublicensees the right to use the name that you submit in connection with the Materials.

6) Specifications and Guidelines. You agree to submit Materials to us in accordance with all guidelines for use of the Service posted on the Prime Publishing web site or of which you are otherwise notified ("Guidelines"), as these Guidelines may be changed in the future.

7) Representations, Warranties and Indemnities. You represent and warrant to Prime Publishing and its Affiliates that (a) you have the right, power, and authority necessary to enter into this Agreement, to fully perform your obligations hereunder, and to grant the licenses set forth in Paragraphs 3 and 5 above, (b) you will comply fully with all terms of this Agreement, (c) the Materials submitted to Prime Publishing by you, and Prime Publishing's and its Affiliates' exercise of their rights hereunder, do not and will not violate, misappropriate or infringe any intellectual property right, including but not limited to trademark rights, copyrights, moral rights and publicity rights of any third party, (d) you possess all rights necessary for the reproduction, distribution, transmission, public performance, public display, and other exploitation of the Materials by Prime Publishing and its Affiliates as permitted hereunder, (e) the Materials are not pornographic, obscene, libelous, defamatory, tortious, or otherwise unlawful, and (f) all factual statements submitted by you are accurate and not misleading. You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold Prime Publishing and its Affiliates harmless from all claims, liabilities, damages, and expenses (including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses) arising from your breach of any representation or warranty set forth in this paragraph.

8) Restrictions. You agree that you will not submit Materials that are unlawful, pornographic, libelous, defamatory, tortious, obscene, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable, or that otherwise violate general Prime Publishing community standards. We expressly reserve the right to remove or not make available any Materials that we deem to be in violation of this Agreement, applicable laws or our community standards in our sole discretion. You agree that you will not upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit Materials to us or our Affiliates that contain software viruses or any other computer code, files, or programs designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment.

9) No Obligation. Although we have the right to include your Materials in the Service or in any Media, we do not have the obligation to do so. We may, in our sole discretion and for any reason, refuse the Materials or remove them from our Service at any time.

10) Changes to Agreement. We reserve the right to change any of the terms of this Agreement or any Specifications or Guidelines governing the Service at any time in our sole discretion. All changes will be effective upon posting to the Service. However, for all changes to this Agreement, excluding Specifications and Guidelines, we will post a notice of change for thirty (30) days. You are responsible for reviewing the notice and any applicable changes. YOUR CONTINUED USE OF THIS SERVICE FOLLOWING OUR POSTING OF ANY CHANGES WILL CONSTITUTE YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF SUCH CHANGES.

11) Prime Publishing Intellectual Property. Without our prior written consent, you may not use our intellectual property, including, without limitation, our trademarks, trade names, trade dress, or copyrighted material, in any manner.

12) Communications. Prime Publishing and its Affiliates may communicate with you in connection with the Service, electronically and in other Media, and you consent to such communications regardless of any "Customer Communication Preferences" (or similar preferences or requests) you may have indicated on the web sites of Prime Publishing or its Affiliates or by any other means.

13) Waiver. PRIME PUBLISHING AND ITS AFFILIATES WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM BREACH OF CONTRACT OR WARRANTY OR FROM NEGLIGENCE OR STRICT LIABILITY) ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF (OR KNEW OR SHOULD KNOWN OF) THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

14) Disclaimer. PRIME PUBLISHING PROVIDES THE SERVICE "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.

15) Miscellaneous. This Agreement will be governed by the laws of the United States of America and the state of Washington, without reference to rules governing choice of laws. Any action relating to this Agreement must be brought in the federal or state courts located in Seattle, Washington, and you irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of such courts. You may not assign this Agreement, by operation of law or otherwise, without our prior written consent. Subject to that restriction, this Agreement will be binding on, inure to, and be enforceable against the parties and their respective successors and permitted assigns. Our failure to enforce your strict performance of any provision of this Agreement will not constitute a waiver of our right to enforce such provision or any other provision of this Agreement subsequently. The Specifications and Guidelines (including all future changes) are incorporated by reference into this Agreement. This Agreement is in addition to, and does not supersede or modify, the terms and conditions of use of the web sites of Prime Publishing and its Affiliates.

Images related to a topic ("My dog Skipper", "A great outfit", "Our family at Yellowstone", "How to glue a chair using a cabinet clamp")

Images that show how a product performs ("I took this picture with this camera", "This shirt shrunk in the wash", "The saw blade after 100 cuts")

Images that give a sense of the size of the product ("This refrigerator is actually 6' tall", "A cellphone the size of a credit card")

Do include captions for your images. While not required, they provide context for your images.
Additionally, you can use the Image Notes feature to highlight one or more interesting areas in your image. Everyone will see your notes when they roll over your image.

What shouldn't I share?

Behave as if you were a guest at a friend's dinner party: please treat the Prime Publishing community with respect. Do not share:

Profane, obscene, or spiteful images, or any images with nudity

Images to which you do not own the intellectual property rights

Images featuring phone numbers, mail addresses, or URLs. You can watermark an image with copyright information.

Images with automobile license plates that are prominent and easily read (pictures with license plates that have been fuzzed out or that otherwise cannot be read are acceptable).

The same guidelines apply to your captions and notes.

What image formats and sizes are supported?

We support JPEG, GIF and PNG images. Files must be no more than 1MB. Both the image height and the image width must be between 60 and 3500 pixels.

Instead of uploading an image, can I just enter a link to an image?

No, all images must be uploaded to Prime Publishing. This ensures your image is always available.

How long does it take to upload an image?

The time varies depending on the speed of your Internet connection and the size of the image file. For a 400KB image, for example, you should expect 2 to 4 minutes over a 56KB modem and under 1 minute for DSL or cable modem.

Where will my image appear?

Generally your image will appear where you uploaded it: in the article image gallery.

Who owns the images I upload?

The rights owner of the image continues to own the image; uploading your image to Prime Publishing does not transfer ownership.